With Iowa and New Hampshire voters unable to agree on a front-runner in either political party and the California primary moved up four months, the state will have a significant role in presidential politics for the first time in a generation.

The California primary will be held Feb. 5, along with primaries and caucuses in 21 other states. With the largest trove of delegates, California figures to get ample attention from candidates in both parties.

On the Democratic side, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have already opened campaign offices in the state and have begun canvassing and phone banking, while former Sen. John Edwards holds a key endorsement from the state council of the Service Employees International Union.

Among Republicans, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has staked the most on California’s outcome – though the other major candidates promise to contend here as well.

The California primary has not been seriously contested since 1984, when Colorado Sen. Gary Hart beat former Vice President Walter Mondale before losing the nomination. This year, the Legislature moved up the date to give California a greater voice in the process.

Absentee voting has already begun. More than 475,000 ballots were mailed out in Los Angeles County earlier this week. As of Wednesday, almost 1,000 of those ballots had been returned to the county registrar’s office.

A day after losing the New Hampshire primary, Obama picked up several endorsements from local political leaders. Joining Schiff at the noon rally were Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-El Segundo, and county Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke – both of whom had previously been uncommitted in the race.

Burke predicted that her district, which includes South Los Angeles and Carson, would swing heavily for Obama, and said his candidacy presents a rare opportunity to break down racial barriers.

“I have no question in my mind that there will be a woman elected president in short order,” Burke said. “I’m not sure when there’ll be another African-American on the scene that is able to go someplace like Iowa and New Hampshire and get the kind of support he has.”

Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat who represents much of the South Bay, and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican who represents the Palos Verdes Peninsula, have not made endorsements.

Allan Hoffenblum, a political consultant and the publisher of the California Target Book, said he would give Clinton the advantage on the Democratic side. Clinton has a wide lead over Obama in every public poll of California, though none has been released since voting began in Iowa.

“The left wing doesn’t like her,” Hoffenblum said. “But you deal with the Latino vote in the Central Valley, and women, and she’s very strong. If a snap poll was taken today, she’d probably be ahead.”

But the Obama forces say they have a key advantage in California: independent voters can vote in the Democratic primary but not in the Republican one. Some analysts blamed Obama’s loss in New Hampshire on independent voters siding with Sen. John McCain – an option that will not be available to them here.

Schwartz said the campaign has already begun sending mailers to permanent absentee voters, and has 3,000 precinct captains statewide. Volunteers are making 15,000 calls a day, he said.

“It’s an epic race,” he said.

The Clinton campaign says it has mobilized 1,700 volunteer captains, or “Hillstars,” in California. Clinton also has broad support from high-profile political figures like Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Assembly Speaker Fabian N ez.

On the Republican side, the campaigns are splitting up as each seeks a win before Super Tuesday. McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney are each targeting Michigan. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Sen. Fred Thompson are focused on South Carolina, while Giuliani is aiming for a win in Florida.

But after that, the Republican campaigns also plan to focus on the Golden State and its 173 delegates.

Romney’s campaign has only four staffers in the state so far, but hopes to leverage his endorsements and his personal wealth to make a strong showing here.

“We’ll have the resources to compete in California,” said Tony Strickland, a former California assemblyman who chairs Romney’s state campaign. “Illegal immigration is a huge issue in California, and that’s going to play into Romney’s camp.”

Giuliani’s campaign has followed a “big state” strategy – not competing in the early contests in favor of focusing on states like Florida, New York and California.

“We have phone banks every day throughout the state,” said Jarrod Agen, a spokesman for the Giuliani campaign. “We’re the only campaign that has been actively campaigning in California.”

Giuliani’s campaign believes the top issues in the Republican race are national security and the economy, which supporters believe will redound to his benefit. In two polls taken in December, Giuliani led second-place Huckabee by eight points in California, with McCain and Romney in striking distance.

Because TV spots are so expensive in California, analysts believe that only the best-funded candidates can compete here – namely, Giuliani and Romney.

But if Romney loses Michigan, he may struggle to stay in the race, Hoffenblum said.

For everything you need to know about the election, go to www.insidesocal.com/dailylink/politics.

TO REGISTER TO VOTE

The deadline for voters to register for the Feb. 5 California presidential primary is Jan. 21. Here is how:

Forms are available at most county buildings, city halls, fire stations, libraries, Department of Motor Vehicles offices, public assistance offices and post offices. Online and mail-in registration is also available. For more information, go to the secretary of state’s Web site at www.sos.ca.gov.